The
Sabangau Forest is in southern Borneo, near Palangka Raya, in the
Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. Centered on the blackwater
Sabangau River, it is bounded by the Katingan River to the west, Kahayan
River to the east, Java Sea to the south and the main Palangka
Raya-Sampit road to the north. The ecosystem covers an area of
approximately 9,000 km2 of tropical peatland and most (6,300 km2)
remains forested. Sabangau forms part of a great swathe of tropical
peatlands that cover almost the entire lowland river plains of southern
Borneo. It is the largest area of lowland rainforest remaining in
Borneo.
The main habitat of the area is tropical peat-swamp forest. This is often decribed as a "dual ecosystem", with a diverse tropical forest ecosystem standing atop a thick peat layer. Peat is formed in heavily-waterlogged, acidic consitions, which prevents the complete breakdown of plant material. It is thus the partially-decayed remains of fallen leaves, branches and trees. The peat layer in Sabangau has formed slowly over 20,000 years and is up to 15 m deep in places. Being made almost completely of plant matter, peat is a major store of carbon. When drained, it begins to break down and oxidise, and becomes very susceptible to fire, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere: the current total peatland CO2 emissions in South-east Asia are estimated to be equal to almost 8% of global emissions from fossil fuel combustion, from just 0.1% of the global land area (Hooijer et al., 2006). When CO2 emissions from degraded peatlands are included, Indonesia is the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the USA and China (it is 21st excluding peat emissions). Preserving tropical peatlands in their natural state is therefore one of the most effective ways of limiting global warming. Logging, peat drainage and fire all disturb the ecosystem's natural balance and, unfortunately, these all occur when peat-swamp forests are converted to oil palm plantation and other forms of agriculture.
The main habitat of the area is tropical peat-swamp forest. This is often decribed as a "dual ecosystem", with a diverse tropical forest ecosystem standing atop a thick peat layer. Peat is formed in heavily-waterlogged, acidic consitions, which prevents the complete breakdown of plant material. It is thus the partially-decayed remains of fallen leaves, branches and trees. The peat layer in Sabangau has formed slowly over 20,000 years and is up to 15 m deep in places. Being made almost completely of plant matter, peat is a major store of carbon. When drained, it begins to break down and oxidise, and becomes very susceptible to fire, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere: the current total peatland CO2 emissions in South-east Asia are estimated to be equal to almost 8% of global emissions from fossil fuel combustion, from just 0.1% of the global land area (Hooijer et al., 2006). When CO2 emissions from degraded peatlands are included, Indonesia is the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the USA and China (it is 21st excluding peat emissions). Preserving tropical peatlands in their natural state is therefore one of the most effective ways of limiting global warming. Logging, peat drainage and fire all disturb the ecosystem's natural balance and, unfortunately, these all occur when peat-swamp forests are converted to oil palm plantation and other forms of agriculture.
In
1996, 50,000 hectares in the north of the Sebangau River catchment area
was protected as the Natural Laboratory of Peat Swamp Forest (NLPSF or
LAHG). The NLPSF is managed by CIMTROP (the Centre for the International
Cooperation in Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatlands), an
Indonesian research and conservation institution based at the University
of Palangka Raya (UNPAR). Setia Alam Field Station, within the NLPSF, is situated 20 km southwest of Palangka Raya in the upper reaches of the Sabangau River.
Setia Alam Field Station is sited just inside the edge of the forest on the site of a former logging concession. The NLPSF contains three forest classes: the mixed swamp forest (MSF), with a large diversity of tree species up to a maximum of 35 metres tall on peat approx. 6m deep, which spans the forest edge and reaches up to 5-6 km into the forest. The low pole forest (LPF), characterised by trees of height 10-15 m, then extends from 6-11 km into the forest. Furthest into the forest is the tall interior forest (TIF), on a peat layer up to 13 m thick and characterised by the highest diversity of tree species, with emergents up to 45 m tall.
The human population in the transmigration settlements on the southern Sabangau River numbers ~2,000; only one other permanent community of 100 residents on the Sabangau River exists in the west of the catchment. Fifteen large villages of 200-2,000 residents are found along the length of the Katingan River, with the large town of Kasongan marking the north-western boundary of the catchment. Several smaller villages occur along this river, together with the large transmigration settlement of Pegatan at the mouth of the river and temporary communities formerly up to 3,000 people centred on timber sawmills, although these are starting to dwindle as migrant workers return home following the cessation of illegal logging in the region.
The eastern Sabangau catchment is smaller and much more heavily degraded. The route of the trans-Kalimantan highway runs close to the Kahayan River, between Palangka Raya and Pulang Pisau, with many small settlements along its length. The northern boundary is marked by the provincial capital of Palangka Raya (ca. 100,000 residents); south of this is the large village of Kereng-Bangkerai (ca. 5,500 residents) on the northern bank of the Sabangau River. The entire area forms Block C of the failed Mega Rice Project, a program that planned to convert this area of deep peatland into rice padi. A large network of wide, deep, canals completely traverses this area, ostensibly built to provide irrigation, but, in fact, a major reason for the project’s failure. The project was abandoned before any forest was cleared in this region, but the drained and dried out peat has burnt regularly since 1997 and much of the forest in this area has been destroyed. Canals have partitioned the remaining forest. The area is still officially designated for agriculture, although no effort or investment has been put towards this since the cessation of the Mega Rice Project. Protection efforts are urgently required in this area to save the remaining large patches of forest, and conserve the biodiversity and carbon stored within.
Setia Alam Field Station is sited just inside the edge of the forest on the site of a former logging concession. The NLPSF contains three forest classes: the mixed swamp forest (MSF), with a large diversity of tree species up to a maximum of 35 metres tall on peat approx. 6m deep, which spans the forest edge and reaches up to 5-6 km into the forest. The low pole forest (LPF), characterised by trees of height 10-15 m, then extends from 6-11 km into the forest. Furthest into the forest is the tall interior forest (TIF), on a peat layer up to 13 m thick and characterised by the highest diversity of tree species, with emergents up to 45 m tall.
The human population in the transmigration settlements on the southern Sabangau River numbers ~2,000; only one other permanent community of 100 residents on the Sabangau River exists in the west of the catchment. Fifteen large villages of 200-2,000 residents are found along the length of the Katingan River, with the large town of Kasongan marking the north-western boundary of the catchment. Several smaller villages occur along this river, together with the large transmigration settlement of Pegatan at the mouth of the river and temporary communities formerly up to 3,000 people centred on timber sawmills, although these are starting to dwindle as migrant workers return home following the cessation of illegal logging in the region.
The eastern Sabangau catchment is smaller and much more heavily degraded. The route of the trans-Kalimantan highway runs close to the Kahayan River, between Palangka Raya and Pulang Pisau, with many small settlements along its length. The northern boundary is marked by the provincial capital of Palangka Raya (ca. 100,000 residents); south of this is the large village of Kereng-Bangkerai (ca. 5,500 residents) on the northern bank of the Sabangau River. The entire area forms Block C of the failed Mega Rice Project, a program that planned to convert this area of deep peatland into rice padi. A large network of wide, deep, canals completely traverses this area, ostensibly built to provide irrigation, but, in fact, a major reason for the project’s failure. The project was abandoned before any forest was cleared in this region, but the drained and dried out peat has burnt regularly since 1997 and much of the forest in this area has been destroyed. Canals have partitioned the remaining forest. The area is still officially designated for agriculture, although no effort or investment has been put towards this since the cessation of the Mega Rice Project. Protection efforts are urgently required in this area to save the remaining large patches of forest, and conserve the biodiversity and carbon stored within.
Base camp
Researchers discussing the day's events
Setia Alam Field Station is the site of OuTrop and CIMTROP's primary research site and base camp. Setia Alam means 'Loyal to Nature' and
our camp is sited just inside the forest edge, surrounded by jungle and
accessed from the Sabangau River by a km-long railway: the last remnant
of the logging company that worked here previously. Camp is
approximately 20 km SW of Palangka Raya, where OuTrop and our Indonesian
partners CIMTROP have their offices. Setia Alam is managed by CIMTROP
and is protected for the purposes of scientific research.
The camp is built around a central meeting area, which leads to three accomodation buildings, a kitchen and dining room, office, laboratory, washing area, toilets and bathrooms, and the badminton court - only playable in the dry season! Electricity comes from a diesel-powered generator and two (temperamental!) solar panels, and camp is regularly supplied from our local village of Kereng Bangkerai.
The camp is built around a central meeting area, which leads to three accomodation buildings, a kitchen and dining room, office, laboratory, washing area, toilets and bathrooms, and the badminton court - only playable in the dry season! Electricity comes from a diesel-powered generator and two (temperamental!) solar panels, and camp is regularly supplied from our local village of Kereng Bangkerai.
To visit Setia Alam, you fly into Palangka Raya airport, take a minibus to Kereng Bangkirai, hop on a klotok (a
small wooden boat) to the Natural Laboratory jetty, from where you
board our famous mini train to travel the last 1.5 km into camp. The
railway runs through a large area of grass and sedge swamp that
separates the river from the forest. In the wet season this floods to 6 m
deep, and we can take our klotok straight into camp.
The railway between camp and the river was left over by the logging
company, as they used it to take timber out of the forest to the river.
This has had to be replaced many times over and we are grateful to the
Government of Finland, plus CIMTROP's and our sponsors for funding this.
From camp, take any of four paths into the jungle and you enter the Natural Laboratory of Peat Swamp Forest. Contiguous with the rest of the Sabangau Forest, the 50,000 hectare Natural Laboratory is a scientific research and monitoring facility, the main aim of which is to promote the conservation of the Sabangau Forest and its globally important biodiversity and carbon store. It was formally designated by Decree of the Ministry of Forestry, dated 2nd February 1999, No. 191/Menhutbun-VII/1999. This placed overall management control of the Natural Laboratory with the Ministry of Research and Technology (BPPT), and day-to-day management in the hands of CIMTROP and its director, Dr Suwido Limin.
From camp, take any of four paths into the jungle and you enter the Natural Laboratory of Peat Swamp Forest. Contiguous with the rest of the Sabangau Forest, the 50,000 hectare Natural Laboratory is a scientific research and monitoring facility, the main aim of which is to promote the conservation of the Sabangau Forest and its globally important biodiversity and carbon store. It was formally designated by Decree of the Ministry of Forestry, dated 2nd February 1999, No. 191/Menhutbun-VII/1999. This placed overall management control of the Natural Laboratory with the Ministry of Research and Technology (BPPT), and day-to-day management in the hands of CIMTROP and its director, Dr Suwido Limin.
The
success of the Natural Laboratory in protecting tropical forest and
promoting collaboration between researchers, ecologists and
conservationists, is a fantastic example of how locally-managed
conservation projects, applying local solutions to local problems, can
succeed. Inside the Natural Laboratory, we have cut and marked a trail
system measuring 2.5 x 2.5km, with trails every 250 m running
north-south and east-west. Within this grid system, we have many
permanent tree plots set-up for studies of long-term habitat
regeneration and forest productivity. We are not the only people who use
the Natural Laboratory, though: researchers from the University of
Palangka Raya and Indonesian National Institute of Sciences (LIPI),
University of Leicester, the Japanese universities of Hokkaido, Kyoto
and Tokyo, the University of Helsinki in Finland, University of Munich
in Germany and several Dutch institutions are studying many different
aspects of peatland ecology, including climatalogy, hydrology,
restoration techniques, peat respiration and carbon cycling, nutrient
cycling and remote sensing. Although there are many different groups
working here, we have a common cause and work together through CIMTROP
and other international collaboration networks.
The logging railway used to run 25 km into the heart of the Sabangau Forest. This has long since been pulled up and taken away, but the route through the forest remains. The jungle keeps trying to reclaim it, but we regularly clear the re-growth of pandan, giving us a path leading 12 km to the tall interior forest, the most productive and diverse area of jungle in the Natural Laboratory. The route to the tall interior forest runs through the low-pole forest. Here we maintain a forward camp, which we visit annually to survey these remote forest areas. Although the low-pole forest is dense, hot, wet and generally low in all biodiversity except mosquitoes, our work here has been absolutely crucial in understanding the ecology of the forest, and determining how illegal logging can impacts the area's orangutan population. We have also started building satellite camps in four other remote locations around the Natural Laboratory for our ecological monitoring and camera trap research.
The logging railway used to run 25 km into the heart of the Sabangau Forest. This has long since been pulled up and taken away, but the route through the forest remains. The jungle keeps trying to reclaim it, but we regularly clear the re-growth of pandan, giving us a path leading 12 km to the tall interior forest, the most productive and diverse area of jungle in the Natural Laboratory. The route to the tall interior forest runs through the low-pole forest. Here we maintain a forward camp, which we visit annually to survey these remote forest areas. Although the low-pole forest is dense, hot, wet and generally low in all biodiversity except mosquitoes, our work here has been absolutely crucial in understanding the ecology of the forest, and determining how illegal logging can impacts the area's orangutan population. We have also started building satellite camps in four other remote locations around the Natural Laboratory for our ecological monitoring and camera trap research.
